Olive Grove Facing the Sea
by espergirl04
Summary: The four of them were all miserable looking. Rodney was clutching Teyla’s arm for support, Ronon was scraped up from elbow to shoulder, Teyla sported a black eye, and John…well John was sunburned. Maybe it was a cry for time off.


AU. I started writing this last summer and just got around to writing the last paragraph to finish it up, which is why there's implied Ronon/Keller and Sam is still in charge. It's pretty light hearted, hope you guys enjoy it! The title comes from the song title created by Snow Patrol.

Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate Atlantis or any of the characters.

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John discovered that despite the fact that it was Teyla who was stripping down, Ronon and Rodney were both staring directly at him. He shrugged and glared at the both of them; he was just as confused as they were. They were looking for a power source and had ended up standing on a beach surrounded by what looked like olive trees but were, according to Teyla, some kind of alien fruit. It was then that without so much of a warning Teyla tossed her TAC vest aside and was currently yanking off her jacket. As she reached for the hem of her shirt Rodney's look grew more pointed and he made some sort of gesture which John supposed meant that he, as team leader, should say something.

"Uh, Teyla?"

She turned towards him, hands stilled. "Yes Colonel?" She was looking at him expectantly, loose strands of hair blowing gently across her face with the warm breeze. The sun glinted off of it and he couldn't help but notice as it seemed to flicker gold in the light.

Raising an eyebrow he motioned towards her discarded clothes, "What exactly is it that you think you're doing?"

Looking from him to Ronon and then Rodney and back again, she tilted her head in confusion. "I believe that Rodney said that the power source was coming from that direction." She pointed a slender finger towards the lapping waves. "I assumed that we would be investigating?"

"And we will. In a puddle jumper. I'm pretty sure that swimming isn't the way to go." He was still staring at her, Teyla always erred on the side of caution, it wasn't like her to go running off into the waves after some power source that could be, for all they knew, fifty or so yards off shore.

Then Rodney broke in with, "Wait, you know. She might be right. According to my readings it should be about where those breakers are." He waved vaguely towards the direction of the ocean and John sighed.

"So the readings are coming from the sand bar?" John couldn't deny the fact he was up for a swim but first he had to justify the reason. Splashing around in the surf wasn't exactly what Sam had sent them out to do.

Drawing his eyebrows together Rodney squinted at the screen and then towards the ocean, "That would be a safe guess."

"Guess? Or it is."

Growling out of frustration, Rodney nodded. "Yes it is. Okay? The power source is out there on the sand bar which, unless I'm greatly overestimating your athletic abilities, is well within swimming range."

This time all three pairs of eyes were on Teyla as she pulled her shirt over her head.

Ronon had no problems stripping down to his underwear as well but John and Rodney looked skeptically at one another.

"Are you not coming?" Teyla's voice was serious though there was a slight twinkle to her eyes. "I am sure that Ronon and I shall be able to find what it is that we are looking for."

Not about to let Teyla go gallivanting off with the partially naked Satedan, John stripped down to his boxers as well. "We should probably stick together; there could be sharks or something."

Blinking around at the others, Rodney shook his head. "No, no. Salt water doesn't really agree with me, plus I'm very prone to sun burns. And apparently there are sharks"

John rolled his eyes, "I was joking McKay, besides…don't you have some shark repellent or something?"

After a few more minutes off huffing they finally managed to drag Rodney into the water, though he insisted on keeping his shirt on, thank you very much. The waves washed over them and John watched as Teyla dove into one, her body shimmering when she reappeared. She was making it very hard to concentrate. Impossibly hard.

Same thing occurred when they were standing on the sandbar. Teyla was just standing there, one hand on her hip, water dripping down her body. Concentrating on what McKay was saying was like trying to choke down stale bread when there was a mouth watering double chocolate cake just out of reach. Damn her.

XXX

The group that stumbled through the Gate received raised eyebrows from everyone around. And a groan of consternation from Sam. "I thought you said there were no life signs on the planet?"

John grimaced, "There wasn't."

"Then why…." Sam trailed off, unsure if she really wanted to know. The four of them were all miserable looking. Rodney was clutching Teyla's arm for support, Ronon was scraped up from elbow to shoulder, Teyla sported a black eye, and John…well John was sunburned. They had also apparently rid themselves of half their clothes because as soon as they stepped through they Gate they had dropped their TAC vests and jackets unceremoniously on the ground and when Sam looked closer she could see sand. Everywhere. And then she noticed salt residue shimmering slightly on their skin. And then there was the fact that Teyla's hair was in tangles and John's was messier than usual. Ok, she needed the explanation. Fortunately Rodney was only too glad to give it to her.

"You want to know what happened? I'll tell you what happened…_he_ happened." He shot a death glare at Sheppard and pointed a finger before motioning his head towards Teyla. "Or her, it's a toss up, it was her idea to go for a swim in the first place."

John began to try to defend himself while Teyla blushed and Sam threw up her hands in annoyance. "Stop. Just stop. First of all…wait, you went for a swim? I sent you there for a specific reason and _fun_ was not one of them."

"Fun? Definitely no fun involved, believe me. No, what happened was that Teyla there decided it would be a good idea to swim out to the sand bar where the readings were coming from."

"In Teyla's defense, Rodney did say that it was within swimming range," John interjected. "And before you say anything, it wasn't our fault that he twisted his ankle. He was the one that stepped on the switch."

Sam looked towards Rodney. "Switch?"

"Hm, yes. Apparently the builders realized that the sea was gradually moving in so they decided to build their city underground. Except the energy source, I'm presuming it was used for a shield, wasn't powerful enough to keep the sand and waves back and it all came caving in on the city."

"So you weren't able to retrieve the power source?"

Ronon grunted, "No. Thing's buried. Didn't stop McKay from trying though."

There was a collective snicker from the group, minus Rodney, and Sam quickly decided that she was never going to have kids. Ever. "Okay, okay. So Rodney tripped the switch and?"

Teyla could apparently sense Sam's growing frustration because she glared the others into silence. "And it opened what we assumed was the entrance to the city. However, much of it was filled with sand and rocks and Rodney's foot became lodged."

"Then the yeti over there," Rodney looked pointedly at Ronon, "decided to pull me out."

"Didn't realize how bad his foot was caught." Ronon mumbled.

Well that explained one injury. "Teyla?"

"Yes Colonel Carter?"

"Umm…your eye?" Sam waved a vague circle around her own face.

It was John who sheepishly flicked his hand, "About that…I might have uh…accidentally hit her."

"You accidentally _hit_ her? In the face? Really." Sam crossed her arms.

John's eyes widened slightly, "No, no. I didn't hit her, hit her. She and Ronon were helping Rodney back to shore and I tried throwing Rodney's boot to her."

Well that explained Rodney's lack of shoes. "Wait, Rodney was swimming with boots?"

"Yeah, something about not wanting to step on sea urchins." John shrugged. "Anyways, it came off when Ronon pulled him out."

"I tried to catch it, but was unable to." Teyla wisely decided to leave out the part about how John had yelled a warning to her _after_ he had thrown the boot and when she turned to catch it, it was already too late. For which he had apologized endlessly once they were back on dry land.

Sam nodded, "And Ronon, how does your injury figure into all of this?"

Ronon glared at the scientist, "McKay. He fell and a wave caught me, dragged me over some rocks."

Rodney coughed, "Um, remember, twisted ankle here?"

Shaking her head, Sam pursed her lips. "Alright, all of you to the infirmary. Yes Colonel Sheppard, even you."

She watched as they trekked past her. Rodney still clinging to Teyla's arm for dear life while John apologized to her and Ronon apologized to Rodney and Rodney apologized to no one.

What was she going to do with them.

XXX

Keller glanced down at the various charts in her hand. "Okay, Rodney you need to keep your ankle wrapped. Ronon, I've stitched you up so…well, by now you're used to it or at least you should be. Teyla, some aspirin and an ice pack for you. And Colonel Sheppard, some aloe for that sunburn."

She looked round at the group and sighed, "All this and nothing to show for it?"

Ronon smirked, "I've got another scar, that's something right?"

Dr. Keller tried to suppress a smile and failed. John, Teyla, and Rodney exchanged knowing looks and she looked slightly surprised. "What? Why are you guys looking at each other like that?"

"No reason Jennifer," Teyla was smiling and Ronon shoved her lightly.

"And Sam accused me of causing Teyla physical harm?" John ducked out of Ronon's reach.

The four of them thanked her and headed to lunch. Dr. Keller watched them go, shaking her head. It still amazed her how one moment Teyla could kick pretty much everyone's ass with her bantos rods, Colonel Sheppard could make cut throat decisions, Ronon could break a man with his bare hands, at least she assumed he could, and Rodney was, as he liked to put it, the single most brilliant mind on Atlantis…and yet they could still act like teenagers around one another. They were a social experiment waiting to happen.

She was even more amazed when Ronon leaned into infirmary just as she was sliding into her computer seat. "Hey doc, you hungry?"

"I…well…yes?"

Swinging slightly around the door frame he grinned, "Come on."

"I…sure?"

He turned to go and she leapt up, catching up with him. "So, what's for lunch?"

"Not sure, Rodney said it was good."

"So uh…so it was Colonel Sheppard who gave Teyla the black eye?" She craned her head to get a good look at Ronon's face; he looked like he was struggling not to smile.

"Yeah."

"How?" she asked, curious.

Ronon stopped and looked down at her, shrugging. "Sheppard was messing around."

She wasn't sure exactly what he had meant by that but when she saw Teyla and John sitting a little closer than usual, she couldn't help but laugh when she made it to the table. John and Teyla's heads both snapped up and John frowned, "What?"

Ronon took a seat and Jennifer followed. The Satedan grabbed a roll off Rodney's tray, "Nothing."

Teyla glanced at John, then Jennifer, and finally Ronon, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Ronon."

Jennifer's laughter turned into giggles and John frowned. "I don't know what he told you, but whatever it was, it was a lie."

"Didn't tell her a thing."

Dr. Keller smiled, "Nope, not a word." Then she looked at Ronon. "Could you define 'messing around'?"

XXX

John discovered that despite the fact it was Teyla who was stripping down, Ronon and Rodney were both staring directly at him. He had a suspicion that they were trying to gauge his reaction and knew that they weren't disappointed when he nearly spit the water he had been intent on drinking out onto the sand.

He had thought that her diving into the water, minus clothing, had been bad. No. No, it was nothing compared to her turning towards him, face flushed with embarrassment, wearing a camo bikini that had a belt slung low on her hips and a top held up by a chain interwoven with fabric and clasped together in the front with a chain link. She grimaced. "I did not choose this…when I mentioned that I was in need of swim wear, Laura Cadman offered to help."

Oh God, John should have known. He had to admit though that it was very…Teyla. Dangerous and yet feminine at the same time. "It looks very…nice."

Ronon and Rodney snorted, which Teyla chose to ignore. "Would you care to join me for a swim?"

"I would love a swim." Throwing a smirk in his teammate's direction, he followed her down to the water.

Once they were clear of the rocks and an unsuspecting Teyla was turned towards the wide expanse of the ocean, he tackled her. It was a spur of the moment thing, the opportunity presented itself and so he took it. Launching himself at her he caught her around the waist, bringing them both down with a splash…which he promptly regretted when they came up gasping for breath and she slapped him on the arm with more force than he deemed necessary.

"Ow, okay sorry…I probably deserved that…you know, I think you might hit harder than Ronon." She raised an eyebrow and he amended himself, "Okay, so I did deserve that…and you do hit harder than Ronon."

"You most certainly did deserve it." And with that she dove under the water, popping up a short distance away.

"Where are you going?" He called out to her.

She motioned towards one of the alien olive trees that was growing close to the water, branches spreading over the shallows. Grinning at him, she started to swim with long smooth strokes until she reached it. He watched as she jumped, grabbing one of the lower branches and then with an impressive feat of strength she pushed herself up and over, straddling it. And then he realized that she was waiting for him to join her, he wasn't going to disappoint.

By the time he had gotten himself up to the first branch she had already began her climb and he found himself distracted yet again. The way that she moved through the branches was sinuous, winding and weaving, the muscles in her legs clearly defined as she relevéd, her stomach stretched smooth and taut as she reached for the branches above her. And then she was up in the higher branches, back against the trunk, legs stretched out on the branch in front of her. Like he was going to let her have all the fun.

"Comfortable?" He asked as he looked up, trying to see her around the branches.

"Very," came her reply. But then suddenly she swung down from her perch and stood balanced in front of him.

"Could you maybe not do that? We're kind of high up." She raised her eyebrows and then took a defiant step forward, one foot pointed in front of the other.

"At least hang on to a branch or something. Sam said that she didn't want to see us step back through that gate for at least twelve hours…it's only been," he glanced at his watch, "three…which means that if you fall and break something you're going to have to live with it for nine more."

She dismissed his words. "I have been meaning to ask, for what purpose did Colonel Carter send us back?"

"I think she figured that our last mission here was a…" he searched for the right words, "cry for some time off." Actually he was pretty positive that it really was one of the reasons. He knew that he'd tread on Sam's toes before, done some things that he probably shouldn't have done, omitted some things that he probably shouldn't have omitted, which she'd found out about anyways…but she had sent them on a mission and they'd come back in a less than professional manner…he had a feeling that this was her way of telling them that they'd better work it out of their systems and then get back down to the gritty side of life. That and she probably wanted to get them out of her hair for a while.

Teyla nodded, "That is what I suspected as well."

She was still standing and he joined her, "So what was it that made you want to go for a swim in the first place? It didn't really seem like you."

Turning her head away she looked out at the great expanse of glassy water, tempered to metallic pewter by the sun. "I believe flying makes you feel…free? Unrestrained, am I correct?"

"Well, yeah."

She looked him in the eye, "That is how swimming in the ocean makes me feel." And with that she gave him one last grin before jumping off the branch into the ocean below. He watched her for a moment as she swam away with smooth clean strokes. It wasn't a hard concept to understand, maybe not what he had expected to hear but he understood.

They slept under the stars that night. Teyla rested her head on John's stomach as the waves crashed an ever present lullaby. "Do you have places such as this where you come from?"

"Yeah, but I haven't spent much time there, costs too much." He propped himself up on his elbows and she shifted slightly, "You do realize that we currently live in the middle of an ocean?"

Teyla laughed, "Of course. But there is no beach."

"Or those freaky olive trees that aren't really olive trees."

"Okay, some of us are trying to sleep," Rodney interjected. "I need my sleep or else I'll be extremely grumpy in the morning, especially after sleeping all night in the sand, what's so wrong with air mattresses? Or hammocks? Maybe not hammocks because they aren't exactly comfortable, at least I don't think so-"

John groaned, "Good night Rodney."

That night they slept under the stars, in the alien olive grove facing the sea.

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Hope you guys enjoyed it!


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